Robin Hood Archery Shoots for Export Success

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SANTA ANA, CA – Robin Hood Archery, a small business owned and operated by the Jaime family which specializes in the sale of archery equipment and the marketing of the sport, has been nominated to receive the Small Business Exporter of the Year Award by the Coachella Valley Women’s Business Center (CVWBC). The firm received a combination of workshop training and individual counseling from CVWBC, which is partially funded by SBA. Over the past three years, under the leadership of Director of Operations Josashan Jaime-Santacruz, the gross sales of the company have increased an average of 17% annually, leading the company to hire its first non-family employees.

Founded in 1992, the business began in the family garage when its founder, Natividad Jaime, started selling to friends, their clubs, and eventually to state teams. Jaime worked diligently to grow his business locally before venturing into Mexico and Latin America to promote the sport and sell his merchandise. By 2009, Robin Hood Archery had grown to approximately $250,000 in annual sales, serviced twenty state sport institutes, twenty countries, and worked to broaden the reach of both the sport of archery and of their business.

Mr. Jaime immigrated to the U.S. and settled in the City of Indio in 1987, working as a field supervisor in the agriculture industry to support his family. Three years later, he began his career as an archer, having taken up the sport in his youth. Within two years, he and his bride Carmen took the Mexican national title. Two years later, Natividad, Carmen and her two younger sisters won the first international archery championship for Mexico.

Encouraged by his early success as an archer, Jaime supported the efforts of his children and other relatives in the sport of archery. Among them, they count some 200 gold medals and dozens of national titles. As the family competed, the business grew, becoming the largest distributor of archery equipment to Latin America.

Jaime did not feel content merely selling products; he realized in order to grow, he needed to promote the sport by becoming an ambassador to the sport. The product had to be used safely and to its prime effectiveness, and the only way to ensure that was through education and training. The company began establishing a network of archery federations and institutes with which they work to educate the local population and to organize and facilitate tournaments. One of the company’s proudest achievements is a ten year partnership with the family’s home state of Baja California that still exists today, serving over 150 youth.

From the inception of the company to the present day, its founder has worked tirelessly to promote the sport and the ethics that accompany it. The core values of his business: providing excellent customer service and expansion through promotion of the sport, of social responsibility, and especially a passion for the sport, are what have fueled Mr. Jaime and the business. Jaime now owns a company that prospers and competes internationally, still winning gold medals and fostering close relationships in places as far away as South America and India.

Robin Hood Archery, which began with a glimmer of hope in the family garage, now consists of a retail store with indoor archery range, an online store, and providing technical consulting and education. That the business thrived through exporting is no accident; Jaime, a native of Mexico, was more comfortable speaking his native language, and he knew that individuals there had few choices in terms of purchasing top of the line archery equipment. The merchandise the company exports includes bows, arrows, quivers, targets, armguards, and sights.

SBA District Offices around the country organize award ceremonies and small business events to commemorate the annual proclamation of National Small Business Week. Robin Hood Archery will be honored alongside other local Small Business Week Awards winners at an event hosted by the Santa Ana District Office and the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center on June 5th from 11:30 am to 2:00pm at the City National Grove of Anaheim. If you have any questions regarding the event, please contact Doug Dare at (714) 560-7467. To RSVP, please visit www.49thannualsbwawards.eventbrite.com.